Falling Through Books
by Ellethwen Celtica
Summary: The other side of the page. The adventure. She had always wanted to be part of it, and like in an old tale, she gets her wish. Now she is falling through the pages, landing in the story, exploring the life she wanted. But be careful what you wish for. DISCONTINUED FOR NOW
1. Chapter 1

**_She always wanted to be on the other side of the page. To be in an adventure. So, just like in a fairytale, she got her wish. Now she is falling through the pages, landing in the middle and exploring the life she wanted. Yet for some reason, something is always reminding her to be careful what she wished for._**

Willamine, usually called Will, closed her book and set it on top of the pile beside her bed. As she lay back against her pillow, she thought, _wouldn't it be nice. I would love to go to the other side. Just like the Silvertongues. Cross the border of books and reality_.

She stretched her hand toward the ceiling, then dropped it, and accidentally knocked Inkspell off the top of the book stack. Not caring, Will simply lay there, looking at her room. Her walls were half whiteboard, half corkboard, and there were drawings and pages of writing all over them, along with random notes she wrote herself. Her bed was about two feet away from the wall, mainly because she needed more space to stick things. A desk was in the center of the room, a backpack beside it. Everywhere else was piles of books.

Will thought about what her dad had said earlier that day. _"If you like, I could make bookshelves for you. That way you wouldn't have books piled everywhere. It would look a lot neater."_

To that she had replied, "_No thanks, Dad. I like having them all where I can see them. They seem…better, when a shelf does not restrain them. More inviting to read. And it won't matter if you put them back in the wrong place."_

Her dad had simply shaken his head. "You are a strange one, Willamine. If that is what you want though…"

And, it was exactly what she wanted. On this happy note, Will fell asleep.

Will had some very strange dreams. In one, she dreamed that she was meeting with a guy smoking a cigar. He only told her, "Be careful what you wish for. It might come true." Then he threw his cigar at her. It landed at her feet, and turned the asphalt to some kind of liquid. The ground swallowed her up and she was falling. She hit a giant book, and the pages all started to fall out, whirling around her. She fell onto one, and it crumpled up, encasing her in paper. The ink was covering her, drowning her. She opened her mouth to scream, but the ink was there too.

**A/N: So? Anyone want to suggest what's in the book pile?**


	2. Chapter 2

**We last left Willamine drowning in the ink of her books for want of an adventure.**

Natasha picked herself up off the ground. _Must have tripped over a damn brick,_ she thought irritably. She noticed that blood was sliding down her cheek from her forehead and adjusted her headband to cover it until she could get a Band-Aid or something.

She looked around the construction site, and saw a boy not to far away from her pick up a blue box. Without thinking, but without quite realizing why, Natasha walked quickly over to the boy. "Hey, I'm glad you found that! I've been looking all over for it!" She recognized this boy from school. It was Danny or Dave or something like that.

He looked slightly disappointed, and she was wondering if maybe she should call her own bluff, when he smirked and dropped the blue box into her hand. "I'm glad to help. That's a really cool Rubik Cube."

"Thanks," she said, and they both walked toward the street.

"What's wrong with your head?" D-man asked.

"I tripped."

"Oh. Well, I'd best be going." D-man walked off. Still pondering the blue box, Natasha walked the opposite way, toward her home.

xxx

As Natasha was walking down her street, she met Rachel, a tall blonde from school whose only interest seemed to be shopping. Their eyes caught and Rachel smiled and said, "Hi, Natasha! What did you do to your head?" Rachel's eyes fell to the blue box in her hand, and in a slightly different tone she asked, "Where did you get that?"

"I found it at the old construction site."

"Mm. Cool. Well, I'd better be going. See you at school!" Rachel ran past her and launched into a forward flip. Natasha watched for a minute, thinking that perhaps Rachel knew something more than she did about the blue box.

xxx

At home, Natasha pulled out her history homework and got to work on her essay, stopping a few minutes to get a Band-Aid. _Christianity was influential to the Renaissance because_…

Suddenly, she had a memory of piles of books, many of which she knew she had never heard of before. Memories of corkboard walls. A desk in the middle of a room with no other furniture.

Will knew who she was, both in her world and where she was now. She knew why she had taken the blue box from David and the reason behind Rachel's running off. She knew that Rachel was not just a shopping queen, but also the modern Xena: Warrior Princess. She knew now that this was the adventure that she had wanted. She was finally in the book, part of the story. _**Be careful what you wish for, Willamine.**_

Will jumped at the voice in her head. _What the-?_ She opened her window and hastily looked for any birds or other animals. There were none. _Then who-?_

"Natasha! Come down for dinner!" Lost in thought, Will walked down the stairs to the dining room. For dinner was fruity curried lentil salad, which she remembered she did not like, but also remembered that it was her favorite dish. Lucky for her, it tasted good to Natasha and not to Willamine.

"So, Nat, did you do anything interesting today?" her father asked.

"Not really."

"No? Nothing at all?"

"Well, I did bang my head on a brick, but that's about it."

Her dad laughed at this. It was a warm, cheery laugh. "Well, that's more interesting than my news. I spilled my coffee on someone's computer. Fried it completely."

"Oh, dear," said her mom. "I do hope you didn't have to pay for breaking it."

"No, it was just put under accident-related problems to fix."

Will got the idea that these were parents like her own, ones that would always support her. This was going to be an exciting time.

**A/N: Like? Don't? What other books are below this in the book pile?**

**MammonDaughter: I thank you for your review. I shall try to keep this interesting.**


	3. Chapter 3

In school the next day, Will had just closed her locker when Rachel came up to her. "Hey, Natasha. You want to hang out after school? Cassie and I are going to the mall."

"Uh…" Will thought a moment. "Sure." Rachel smiled warmly, then ran to her next class. Will gave a half smile, which quickly turned into a grimace when the class bell rang. She sprinted to class, sliding into her seat just as the teacher turned around.

"Good morning, class. Please take out your essays, and we will discuss what you wrote as I collect your papers." Beside her, Marco rolled his eyes. The teacher must have noticed, as he said, "Marco, will you give us some examples of religion influencing something in the Renaissance?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because that's what I wrote the paper for."

The teacher just made a deeper frown, but said, "Can anyone else give an example?"

Will halfway paid attention to what she was supposed to be learning. She took notes and answered questions, but she also was paying attention to the way Marco seemed to be examining her. Like she was taking a test, and he was judging if she passed or not.

She thought about who she was in this world. Natasha was more popular than some other people, but she wasn't a flirt, gossip, or bully. She kept secrets. Followed orders, usually. Marco was making her kind of nervous. Of course, that was probably the intention.

Will realized it was Thursday. They had a teacher in service tomorrow. A three-day weekend. _I'm being silly,_ she told herself. _Marco is just making me paranoid. Perhaps I'm even just imagining he's watching me._ _Paranoid, that's it. Nothing to worry about._

xxx

"So, do you think you can spend the weekend with us? We're going up to this old cabin for a couple days and I was kind of hoping you could come. It's going to be ultra-boring with just me and the family."

"Mmm…let me call my parents and see if it's okay."

Will found a pay phone and called home. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom. Rachel's going camping for a couple days and wanted to know if I could come."

"Rachel who?" Will said her last name. "Oh, that Rachel. I guess if you would like to go, that would be fine. It will give us a chance to go out, away from you crazy kid."

Will laughed. "Thanks Mom."

"Welcome. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Good-bye." Her mom hung up the phone. Will walked back to Rachel and Cassie.

"What did they say?"

"They said it was fine."

"Cool."

The three girls shopped for a few more hours. Once it got around six, they decided to go home. Cassie split off pretty early, but Rachel and Will had basically the same route to take, so they walked together. Will was starting to enjoy herself, just being normal Natasha.

Rachel dropped something and went back to pick it up. "Don't stop for me, I'll catch up in a minute." Will kept walking for a minute.

"Then she collapsed as something heavy hit her in the back of the head. She hit the ground and was out in moments, but not quick enough to stop from thinking, _Well, so much for paranoia._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: In the following chapters, there will be a lot of switching from Natasha to Will and vice versa. It is honestly not to confuse you, but to show the dominant personality at the moment. Thought speak is [this] because the arrows apparently don't work on this stuff.**

_Ohhh…damn, Rachel hits hard._ Will tried to put her hand to her aching head, but found out her hands were tied behind her back. Groggily, she opened her eyes.

She was in a shack. _Ah, so this is Rachel's 'cabin'._ Looking around, the only living thing she saw was a cat. She looked again, to make sure, then said, "Hello, cat. I don't suppose you're here to cut my ropes?" She honestly didn't expect a reply.

**[No, actually, I'm here to watch you.]**

Will jerked in surprise, then grinned. "So, I guess you are one of the 'Andalite bandits', yeah?"

**[I guess you're a Yeerk then, yeah?]**

Will sighed, then yawned. "What in the world did Rachel hit me with?"

**[No idea.]**

"Why am I tied to a chair in an abandoned shack?"

**[I think you can guess the answer to that, Yeerk.]**

"I'm not a Yeerk. Anymore." said Natasha.

**[Anymore?]**

"Why am I here?"

The cat sighed in her head**. [Because, our sources have confirmed that you are a Yeerk. In your possession is a very dangerous weapon. We are making sure the weapon doesn't fall into Yeerk hands.]**

"Metaphorically speaking," Will muttered. "The Escafil device?"

**[Yes.]**

"I give applause. Have you found it yet?"

The cat was silent for a minute. **[Not yet. It would be helpful to you as well as us if you told us where it is.]**

Natasha smiled. "It's in a shoebox. In my closet."

The cat apparently relayed the information. **[That is a terrible hiding place. Anyone could get to it.]**

She frowned. "I wasn't planning on keeping it there for eternity."

**[Of course not. You were going to give it to your superiors.]**

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm talking to a cat. Even if it's an Andalite and it talks back."

**[What's it like, Yeerk, knowing that in three days you'll be dead?]**

"I'm no Yeerk. Anyway, curiosity killed the cat, so maybe you should morph out before asking more questions." The cat fell silent after that.

"How did you get me here?"

**[A couple of horses, and a tranquilizer.]**

xxx

Natasha guessed that it was about 4 a.m. on Friday. She was not tired, and suffering from extreme boredom. To pass the time, she started singing quietly. "She's got a smile that seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories, where everything, was as fresh as the bright blue sky…" The owl sitting on the back of a chair cocked its head. "I'm singing," she told it. "It's a human thing."

The owl ruffled its feathers. "Not talking to me?" Natasha asked. "Ehn. I wouldn't either. Do you know how the Yeerks describe Andalites? They make a lot of hosts believe that infestation is better than ever meeting one of you." She paused for a minute. "Yet here you are, and I'm not dead yet."

Natasha stopped talking and stared at the owl. It glared back. "So, what happens Monday?"

For the first time, the owl spoke. It only said, **[That depends on you.]**

xxx

"Find the box yet?" As usual, the creature on duty ignored her. Will guessed that meant yes, since they told her when they hadn't.

Of course, that was to get an answer out of her.

Saturday had begun boring and was planning to stay that way. However, Will had found a Leatherman in her back pocket, and had cut her bonds when the guards had switched. She was sitting still, but she had an extreme urge to jump up and do cartwheels. _Fifteen more minutes. Just wait that long._

She did, and there were approximately two minutes before the next person came in, presumably to morph. Will got up and stretched. Then she flipped over to do a handstand, lowering her head to make a triangle of balance.

Will lowered her knees carefully so she wouldn't knock herself off balance and sat cross-legged, upside down. As soon as she had finished that, a voice in her head said, **[What are you doing?]**

Natasha opened her eyes but did not jerk. She was actually looking at an Andalite, scorpion tail and all. "Mercy," she breathed. Will wasn't prepared to see an actual Andalite in front of her. "So, did you decide to come out of morph?" Natasha tried to sound careless. Like she saw Andalites every day (which she nearly did) and they didn't scare her anymore.

**[I do not believe you are a Yeerk. No Yeerk would act in such a foolish manner once they have managed to escape their bonds. However, you know more than any human would know about species not from this planet.]**

"I used to be a Yeerk. Lucky for me, my parents decided we needed to go on a weeklong camping trip. Far away from the city."

**[So how much do you know, exactly?]**

"As much as any Yeerk. I go back to the pool every three days, even though I'm not a Yeerk anymore. I go off planet sometimes. I think my mom is infested."

**[I am sorry.]**

"Ehn. As you can see, I have my reasons to go back down into that hellhole."

**[Yes, I see.]**

"Stupid question: Have you found the box yet?"

**A/N: Darth Krande and MammonDaughter, thanks for your reviews. I am hoping you'll keep liking this.**

**So, does anyone want to suggest books in the bookpile?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Natasha/Will has spent the last three days in an abandoned shack to prove that she is not a Yeerk.**

xxx

**[So, if we were to give you the power, would you wish to become one of us "Andalite bandits?]**

"I thought you couldn't do that. Seerow's Kindness."

**[We are a long way from other Andalites. We have already broken the rules. It will not matter to do it once again.]**

"I would like to help you." Natasha meant it. "Say, have you heard of the Chee?"

**[We have. They are our allies. Wait, I thought the Yeerks didn't know of the Chee.]**

"Secrets have a way of getting into the open. The Yeerks know some of them but not exactly what they are. So, I was the recon."

**[Who **_**exactly**_** do they know about?]**

"One or two. I was free by the time they sent me on the mission. I know a lot more."

**[Who is the one or two the Yeerks know about?]**

"Mm, I think one is Maria, and there's another, Aaron or Ares or something like that."

**[Erek?]**

"I don't know. It's something like that." She saw the osprey acting completely normal, doing osprey stuff, and yet it seemed to have an air of worry about it. Natalie could almost see it speaking to its friends, worrying about who the Chee was that the Yeerks knew, if it was false information that the Yeerks were now giving…

**[In three hours, your three days will be up. Just in case you are a Yeerk, which everyone has stopped thinking you are. We've seen Yeerks die of starvation before, you aren't one of them.]**

"Yeah, I know." _Three hours to worry about what is going to happen now. Yippee._

She carefully considered the position she was in now. She was already a traitor, now she was going to be a double agent. Natasha was going to fight against her former friends, maybe even kill some of them, instead of just jacking up a few plans here and there.

She was going to be able to turn into whatever living thing she touched. This excited both her and Will. Will, that strange presence within herself, who knew everything about her, but who she knew nothing about. It was kind of like having a Yeerk inside her head, except Will was almost never in control. Will was content to sit back and watch, occasionally having open thoughts and advice.

Yeerks…her captors, her friends, her allies, and now her enemies. Her family, too. Natasha had seen her mom at the Yeerk pool. Not that she let the other know anything. She was smarter than that. She hoped.

An orange cat meowed to get her attention. Natasha focused on it and said, "What's up?"

The cat started to demorph. It surprised Natasha at first, then shocked her when she realized the cat was becoming human, not Andalite.

The cat was becoming Rachel.

Once Rachel had finished demorphing, she said, "Your three hours are up. Congratulations on not being a Yeerk. Do you still want to join us?"

Natasha took a deep breath. "Yes. I do."

"Then come on." Rachel walked out the door, and Natasha followed. There were four others, Jake, Marco, Cassie, and the Andalite. The Andalite had the Escafil device.

**[Place your hand on one side of the device.]** He directed in thought-speech.

"Wait!" said Cassie. "Shouldn't we have some kind of ceremony?"

"What, should we sing the Star Spangled Banner?" Marco asked.

"No, I don't know all the words," with a sly grin, Cassie said, "We could sing MMM-Bop."

That got a laugh out of everyone. Then Jake turned serious. "Do it, Ax-man."

**[Yes, Prince Jake.]**

Ax held out the box to Natasha, and she put her hand on the top side of the cube. "It tingles," she said, slightly surprised. She looked around at the rest of the group, who seemed to be having a flashback.

"Alright Natasha, are you ready to acquire your first morph?" Jake asked. She nodded. Will was there in the back of her mind, nodding like crazy. Everybody walked a ways from the shack. They came to a cage that had a small bird and a really huge bird. "You're going to acquire the merlin."

"Which one is that?"

"The smaller one."

"Okay." Natasha went to the cage and knelt down next to the merlin.

"Now, touch it and focus on it. That's how you acquire it." Natasha stuck her hand into the cage toward the merlin. It quickly grabbed on to her hand with its beak. Natasha winced as it drew blood, but focused on the merlin. It went into a kind of trance, and Natasha was able to detach it from her hand.

"Now for your second morph. A cockroach."

"A cockroach?" Inside her head, Will laughed. _**Of course. It's one of their more useful morphs. You can go anywhere as a roach.**_

"Here it is." Cassie held out a jar containing a very ugly cockroach. Natasha took the jar and opened it, but it was Will who acquired the morph for her. Natasha absolutely hated cockroaches.

"All right girls. Sorry to leave you out, Rachel, but you and Cassie are going to teach Natasha how to morph, and then you're going to go get a battle morph. We're going to go spy out the resort." Rachel did not look happy at this, but she nodded. Marco, Jake, and Ax morphed to various birds and took off.

"Okay, Nat, you're stuck with us, so you get to morph. Merlin or roach first?"

"Merlin."

"Thought so. You can't stay in morph for more than two hours or you'll be stuck. Concentrate on the merlin."

Natasha concentrated, the picture of the merlin in her mind. Suddenly, her lips started to push out, becoming a beak. She yelped from surprise, which sounded like "BRAWAAHH!" The morph stopped.

"Keep going," Cassie said gently. "Concentrate, Natasha."

Both Will and Natasha had thought they were ready for the morph. Yeah, right.

Natasha finished the morph. She was tangled in her clothes. "Now watch for when the animal's instincts come in," said Rachel as she took off some of the clothes. The instincts kicked in as she said that, and Natasha started flapping, wanting to get out of this trap.

_**Calm down. Rachel is friend, little bird. No hurt. Safe.**_ Natasha got under control. She waited while Rachel untangled her. "You can think speak to us. Just-"

**[Direct my thoughts at you?]**

"Yeah."

**[Can I fly now?]**

"Yeah. Sure."

Natasha took off. **[This is the coolest thing!]** She flapped, soared, and dived. It was awesome.

After maybe ten minutes, Cassie said, **[Come down now, Nat. Now you have to do the other morph. By the way, when you come out of morph, you won't have any clothes. That's what we're working on next. Rachel brought you a morphing suit.]**

She landed, and demorphed. Rachel walked over with a dark blue leotard. "We can only morph something skintight. Put this on and then morph the roach."

As Natasha put the leotard on, she asked, "Where's Cassie? I heard her but I don't see her."

"She's an osprey. To make sure we don't lose you as a roach." Natasha sighed, then morphed the roach.

**[Look! Her suit is morphing with her, and it's only her second shot!]**

Vibrations, and then, **[No, this is better than what I did. I had to try a lot.]**

They practiced with the roach until Natasha could tell what Rachel was saying. "I think we've got this down," Rachel said happily. "Now we get a battle morph for you."

**A/N: and the story moves on. Thanks to all who review and read!**


	6. Chapter 6

**After proving that Natasha is not a Yeerk, the Animorphs add her to the team. She turns out to get the hang of morphing quicker than even Cassie, and now she is getting ready to acquire a battle morph.**

**[The Gardens. Let's dive.]** A bald eagle swooped down about ten feet at ten o'clock, and an osprey at five. Only gently did Will push to get the merlin to dive. It was mainly in control, then Will and Natasha.

**[Alright Natasha-]**

**[It's Will.]** Will said automatically.

**[What? What's Will?]** Inside her mind, Natasha said, _**Oh heck.**_

**[Will.]** Will said, **[Is that other Chee they know about. It's actually Willamine.]** Through their mental link, Natasha said, _**That was a really good catch.**_

_**Thanks.**_

**[Anyway, have you thought about what you're going to acquire?]**

**[Yeah, I'm going to morph a…] **_**Cheetah.**_** [A cheetah.]**

**[Okay. They're this way.]** She followed the osprey to a cage, and then flew in, while Cassie waited on top. Will flew into some bushes and demorphed. One of the cheetahs watched with interest, but once some of the weirder changes started happening near the end, it jumped down onto her. **[Natasha!]** She mentally screamed but finished the morph.

She focused on the cheetah, pretending to switch places with it, and it went into a trance. _**Now how do I get this guy off of me!**_

_**Morph!**_Natasha took control, morphing the cockroach. They were tiny and with six legs when the cheetah came out of the trance, so they ran as fast as a little bug could run. **[Cassie! Get me out of here!]**

A huge shadow came over her and she was suddenly in a cage. **[I've got you! Man, you do not want to know what you look like!]**

**[Yeah, I don't.]** They flew for a few minutes before Cassie landed. **[I'm demorphing.] **Natasha said.

**[Okay.]** Natasha demorphed and remorphed to bird. **[Now we are going to the barn. If everything worked out all right, the boys will be there, too.]**

They got to the Wildlife Rehab Center and, as Cassie predicted, the boys were there. "Hi, girls," Jake said. "Did you guys get Natasha a battle morph?"

"Yeah, and she nearly got killed!" Rachel said.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Natasha.

Jake raised an eyebrow but then put on his "down to business" expression. "Now, we found that the resort is basically air-tight when it comes to security. We have all the foreingers, Secret Service, and the Yeerks, but we did get in with the dragonfly morph. We found a column that is actually a hologram with a mini Yeerk pool inside. The head guys are going to walk past the column and get dragged in while another hologram takes their place. They'll be infested during their speech, and when the hologram comes back to the column, they'll walk out, infested. We're assuming that the banquet is tonight, so we'll go in as birds of prey carrying small weights. We drop them on the heads of the guys inside the column, and then we acquire them, and convince the powers that we're being invaded, and the Yeerks are cooked."

"What are we talking about?" asked Natasha.

Marco sighed. "Oh, nothing much. It's just the usual save-the-world's-most-important-people-from-being-infested-by-Yeerks-during-a-summit-meeting-that's-planned-for-world-peace-but's-actually-world-domination type thing."

"Oh. Well if that's the case, everybody get a good night's sleep, because the banquet isn't until tomorrow."

"What?" Jake asked. "But-"

"And the Jap is the Yeerk. Everyone else is still a regular Earth politic."

"How do you know?"

"Because, unfortunately, I'm part of the column team, so it'll be my head you're dropping things on."

"Oh. Well then, I guess everybody go get a good night's sleep tonight, and tommorow we mess with the Yeerks."

"Sounds good to me. I have a paper to write for English. I still don't have a subject." Marco said.

"I need to leave, too. My Kandrona 'expires' tonight."

"Oh, yeah. Hope you have fun." Marco said.

"Yeah, it'll be a blast," Natasha said in a tone matching Marco's. "See you."

xxx

Natasha went into the dressing room and set the automatic timer for a minute. Then she opened the mirror and stepped through to the staircase. She walked down to the Yeerk pool. There were the screams that haunted her day and night, but she acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary. Like she could ignore it all.

She walked down to the second pier and stood in line. There was a Hork-Bajir in front of her, so she kept a little distance. She recognized him as one who always fought back once he was free. Behind her stood Tom Berenson.

The line moved pretty quickly, so she was soon at the front of the line. The Hork-Bajir gently held her arm so she didn't fall in to the pool. Responding to her mental command, the Yeerk tech in her earring projected a hologram of a Yeerk coming out of her ear. As soon as it dropped and splashed into the sludge, she started to shriek and fight back. The Hork-Bajir gripped her tightly and started to drag her toward the cages. "Let me go! God dammit, leave me alone! Let me go!" The Hork-Bajir threw her into a cage and slammed the door. She was soon followed by Tom.

She didn't cry, and neither did Tom. They had never done that, only shouted and fought. Tom looked miserable, almost hopeless. Almost. Natasha got up and walked over to him, standing very close. In almost a whisper, she said, "Don't give up, Tom Berenson. Not yet. The Andalites will come, you'll see."

Tom laughed bitterly. "That's bull and you know it. The Andalites have already deemed us a worthless cause. At the best they'll send us a disease to wipe us all out, that way we can't become Yeerks."

"What about the renegades? Would the others really abandon their own people?"

"It's a war. There are always sacrifices. The Andalites aren't coming."

"Then if they won't, I guess we'll have to save the planet ourselves."

"I guess so," Tom said, without any real belief in that statement.

They stood in silence for a while before some human-infests came to take Natasha to the second pier. Instead of screaming and fighting like she usually did, Natasha yelled, "Save the world while I'm infested, okay?" then let them drag her down. Her earrings created a force field so no random Yeerks infiltrated her head, and the guards forced her down into the sludge. After a few moments, they pulled her up again, and she was once more a "Controller."

Natasha walked up the stairs, conscious that Will was horrified at the Yeerk pool. Natasha knew that Will had known what to expect, but at the same time, she really didn't know what to expect. Will had gained her knowledge from flat words, while Natasha gained hers from experience.

Another person hurried to catch up to her on the stairs. "Artiss!" the person yelled. "Artiss seven-four-four, wait up!"

"What is it, Iniss two-six-three?" Natasha gave him an annoyed look, just as Artiss would have done.

"The Visser has ordered me to remind you that you are going to be part of the infestation team tomorrow night, and that you are to be constantly on guard for Andalite bandits. Don't be late, don't attract attention, and most importantly, Don't. Mess. Up."

Natasha sighed. "I know what is expected of me, Iniss two-six-three. I know my orders, and I know the consequences. Now, if you are finished…"

"Good bye, Artiss seven-four-four. And good luck, because I think you are going to need it."

**A/N: There be a double agent in our midst. Our book pile so far consists of Animorphs #20-21 and Magician by Raymond E. Feist. What else? Also, should this continue throughout the war to see how it would end with Natasha or should it just stop after a certain point in the war?**

**Thanks to all who review and read!**


	7. Chapter 7

Will was nervous. She couldn't sleep. Natasha was asleep in the back of her mind, but she was completely awake and sitting up. Muttering to herself, she got out of bed and went to Natasha's closet.

Will hung up the clothes on the floor of the closet. Once she found her leotard, she put that on. There were also some homemade moccasins on the floor that she put on. Will locked the door, and stood in the center of the room. She focused on the merlin, and felt the changes begin.

xxx

**[Rachel! Guess what!]** Will was fluttering outside Rachel's window at six in the morning. Rachel groaned, rolled out of bed, and opened the window.

"This had better be worth waking me up," she growled as Will flew in.

Will quickly started demorphing. "Shoes!" she said to Rachel, taking her moccasins off. "I figured out the shoes!"

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I decided to see if there was some way, some possible shoe that would morph. The moccasins were the only ones." Will was now completely worn out, so Natasha took over, having slept through the process.

"Only moccasins? You figured it out! That's one less thing that Marco can complain about!" Rachel looked back at her but Natasha had fallen asleep on the floor. Rachel rolled her eyes and left the room, locking the door behind her.

Rachel went downstairs and picked up the phone. She dialed for Cassie. "Hello?" said Cassie.

"Hey, you know how often we go hiking in the woods? Well, Natasha found the perfect pair of shoes for it. You should come over today and we'll show you the trail. Nat even found some merlins."

"Really? I've got a couple of chores, but I'll be over in an hour or so."

"Okay. Bye. Cassie." Rachel repeated the call to everyone else. Then she went back upstairs to wake Natasha.

xxx

"Why are we here again?" Marco was usually just fine at the mall, but they had been in the shoe stores for the last hour. Everyone had been able to find moccasins that fit except for him. "This is stupid! It's obvious there's nothing here!"

"Marco, we need to find you a pair of shoes. Stop whining."

"Yes, Prince Jake." Marco said sarcastically. Like Natasha, he had not slept last night, and he was grumpy.

"Okay, it's obvious that none of the boys' sizes are yours, so…I guess now we try the girls' shoes."

They finally found a pair that fit Marco. The moccasins had tassels and fringe, but they got it for him. Right afterwards, Natasha left to go to the summit meeting. She said goodbye and walked out of the mall to a cloaked Bug Fighter in the construction site.

"Artiss seven-four-four, what took you so long?" A Secret Service Controller asked.

"It was difficult to get away from my host's friends without raising suspicion."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Natasha lurched as the Bug Fighter took off. She simply stood as they made the short trip to the resort. The Bug Fighter opened its door near the top of the hologram, and Natasha jumped into the hologram just after the Secret Service guy. The Bug fighter hooked a tractor beam onto them to ensure they didn't make a sound once they hit the ground, then let go and flew off.

"Well, four hours and nine minutes to go. Hope you brought a book." said the SS guy in a whisper. Natasha shook her head, but held out a deck of cards. Silently, they played rummy until they heard people start coming in. The SS guy looked at his watch, then nodded. She put the cards away and stood up. Will forced her not to look up through the hologram to the sky.

They listened to the introductory speech, not having anything else to do. It got to the part where they said, "And now, I welcome…" and a little lead weight hit both her and her companion. She went down, both involuntarily and deliberately.

xxx

"Artiss seven-four-four, Iniss four-four-eight, are you injured?" Will noticed the Hork-Bajir's voice was slightly raised, as if he had said this before several times.

"No," she managed to groan out. Her head felt like it was going to split in half. _Oh, I am going to kill whichever Animorph dropped that on me_.

"Visser Three wants to see you. He and a Leeran." _**A Leeran? That means he'll be able to read my mind! This is bad!**_

_**Maybe not, Nat.**_ Will said. _**I can hide your memories, or change them to outside prying.**_

_**How is that even possible?**_

Will mentally shrugged. Taking a deep breath, Natasha swung off the makeshift bed. "Where is he?" she asked. The Hork-Bajir gestured to a door not too far away. Feeling a bit self-conscious, she walked over and knocked.

**[Get in here.]** The Visser's voice boomed in her head. Trying not to visibly shake, Natasha went in and shut the door behind her. Natasha saw the Leeran floating next to the window on the opposite side. This was one of the underwater bases.

**[Yesterday there was an Andalite attack on our Yeerk pool inside the Mariott resort. All of our intelligence led us to believe they would attack the day before, but they did not. They have gotten the world leaders convinced of an alien invasion. The humans now know of us!]**

"But Visser, it is only the leaders who know. If they said anything out loud, they would be thought of as having a mental illness."

**[That would have been the case, except they have all said it on the humans' television. _All of them._ They know too much for it to just be considered their imagination. This has led me to believe that we have a bandit on the inside.]**

"But that would mean they would have to demorph every two hours. We continually watch our fellow Yeerks and none of them have disappearances every two hours."

**[There is likelihood that the bandits are human.]**

"What?"

**[Think about it, Artiss seven-four-four. There have been no reports of strangely acting animals or humans. Every morph the bandits have ever used are Earth morphs. Andalites have more powerful animals on their moon than on all of this planet! They would surely have used one of them by now, **_**unless they aren't from that planet**_**. They must have humans in their ranks.]**

"And…what do you want me to do about it?"

**[It should be obvious. You are our best intelligence officer. You are going to find our spy.]** Natasha stared at him, shocked. **[Go.]** he said. She left.

xxx

Now it was Natasha who could not sleep. _**You are irritating me, Nat. Go take a sleeping pill if you're that jumpy.**_

_**I'm worried. Visser Three has figured out that at least some of us are humans.**_

_**And **_**what**_** are you going to accomplish by staying up all night?**_

Natasha thought a moment. _**I'm going to accomplish telling the Animorphs.**_ She morphed into her merlin.

_**Fine. But I'm not helping you in school tomorrow when you fall asleep.**_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And the story goes on. Hope you are enjoying.**

**The Book Pile:**

**Animorphs 20-?**

**Magician**

**?**


	8. Chapter 8

**The next chapter! Yay!**

"Yesterday was a host to a very strange type of news story that came from the lips of almost every important world leader. They have told us that we are being invaded by aliens, a parasitic race called Yeerks. They can be anyone, your friends, your family…however, there are ways to stop them."

Will poured some cereal into her bowl as her mom shut the TV off. "What rubbish! I suppose next they'll be blaming our wars on aliens. Humph!"

_**Just wait, Yeerk.**_ Natasha thought angrily. _**Just you wait.**_ Despite Will's threat of not helping in the morning, she had still taken over when Natasha was exhausted.

After she'd finished her cereal, Will went back upstairs to get dressed. She looked in the mirror and saw Natasha, with dark circles under her eyes and it seemed she had not slept in a week. _**Which she hasn't. Not really. No more getting up in the middle of the night for at least three days.**_

Will slept through most of her classes. She gained two detentions and a trip to the principal. Luckily, Chapman was gone on Yeerk business today. She slept through detention too.

Rachel met her after detention. "So, what do you think of this crazy new story about these slug aliens? Are they crazy or what?"

"Oh, well prepare for random people kidnapping you and holding you for three days. I'm sure that there are lots of nuts out there who'll believe this."

"Wonderful. You wanna come to the mall with me? I heard that Jake and Marco are there, we can go beat them at the arcade."

"Okay, let's go." They caught a bus to the mall. Jake and Marco were in the food court.

"Why if it isn't Sleeping Beauty!" Marco said as the girls sat down.

"Seeing as my nights are busy, class is the only time I have left to sleep."

"A girl after my own heart." Marco said dramatically. Everyone rolled their eyes.

Jake leaned forward and everyone else followed suit. "How are the Yeerks taking it?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, pretty badly." Will said cheerfully. "I already told you they're starting to think we're humans. I'm in charge of finding our spy, so I pretty much just look the other way whenever I do something." Marco snorted. "Try not to bleed at your next fight. DNA."

"Right, next time I am in a fight I will make sure I will not bleed when cut by a Hork-Bajir."

"Shut up, Marco." In a voice a bit above normal she said, "See you. Tom and I have a date. If you ask your brother what happened, I will personally kill you. If you show up, I will torture and then kill you, Jake."

"Oh, I am so there."

"No you are not there."

"Oh, I am _so_ there." Will rolled her eyes and left. Jake and Natasha had discussed the plan the night before. With all the controversy the Yeerk news was conjuring up, this would be a perfect time to kidnap Tom and kill his Yeerk.

xxx

"Hi Tom." They had met in the park.

"Hi, Nat. How are you?"

"I'm wonderful. And you?"

"This whole news story has got me all shook up. I'm afraid my brother's going to 'kidnap' me and 'hold me prisoner' for three days."

"I wouldn't be surprised. He seems the type." _Thunk._ Tom dropped like a stone. Jake slung his baseball bat over his shoulder.

"Can you drive?"

"Yes." Together, they got Tom into his car. Natasha grabbed the keys and started the car. She put the car in gear and hit the gas. They sped off.

"I thought you said you could drive!" said Jake.

"I'm driving right now!" She slowed down, and they drove all right for the most part. Jake directed her to an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. "Why are we going here?"

"Because, that's my dad's car, and there is no way we are driving it through the woods. We'll take it back home tonight."

"Wouldn't that look suspicious?"

"No. This is my brother you're talking about. He's gone about 20 of the 24 hours in a day."

"Right." She helped Jake unload Tom, and then she drove the car back to the Berenson residence. There was no one there. She parked the car, slid the keys under the back door, and walked away nonchalantly, as if she completely belonged there. In an alley, she morphed. Natasha flew back to the warehouse.

"What are you doing here?" asked Jake. Tom was now tied to a chair, but still unconscious.

"Do you think you hit him hard enough?" Natasha asked, rolling her eyes.

"That depends. Are you talking about my brother or the Yeerk in his head?"

"I'm staying here for the next three days. Chapman and Mom already approved it."

**[Oh, really?]** Marco asked, coming in from the roof. **[You're completely approved to go holding hostages until their Yeerks are dead? I'm impressed.]** Natasha rolled her eyes. Marco and Jake were first watch, then Cassie and Tobias. Plenty of time for her to sleep.

As if Jake had read her thoughts, he said, "Nat, find something to sleep on. You've been running on nothing for the last week." She nodded and curled up in a corner.

xxx

"Natasha…_please_." Tom was crying. He was in pain. It was the final hours of the Yeerk's life. He was begging her. She was in tears, seeing him like this. She didn't move. "Artiss…" He yelled in pain. Natasha looked over to Jake. He looked terrible. The others had left them.

There wasn't much else of the Yeerk. It gave up on dignity. It cried, screamed, threatened, begged. But in the end, it shriveled up on the floor. And there was Tom, really Tom, tears falling down his cheeks and close to collapsing. "S-so," he said, as if the words were unfamiliar to him. "I g-guess n-now it's time t-to save the world ourselves, hm?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: All right, now we follow Tom's instructions.**

**Anything for the book pile?**

**So far:**

**Animorphs**

**Magician**

**Eragon**

**And Possibly:**

**Bambi**

**I'm not much for Star Wars, Darth Krande, but thanks for all of your suggestions!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! This chapter was extremely long and hard in the writing process.**

**All the alien talk is written in English, because this is from Nat/Will's perspective and she has a translator implanted in her head.**

* * *

><p>Tom went home the next day. Natasha had heard secondhand from Jake that he had been grounded. Two days missing was enough to worry the adults, but Tom didn't mind being grounded. He was free, so he was completely ecstatic.<p>

It had turned out they had nabbed him on his second day, so it didn't take as long to kill the Yeerk as it could have. And two days could easily be explained. The story was, according to Jake, Tom had been out all night with Nat, then had work to do at the Sharing all day, and finally crashed at one of his friends' house. He'd meant to call but had forgotten.

In the meantime, Natalie had gotten into a bit of a difficult spot with her fellow Yeerks. Having to check up on them at random intervals, especially when they wanted to be left alone, was starting to make her one of the unlikable coworkers, so to speak. Her mere presence was making Yeerks annoyed, though they weren't going to say anything, for fear of Visser Three. They mostly pretended to ignore her.

"Natasha! Nat, my dad wants to talk to you!" Melissa Chapman, coming to get her. "Natasha, are you hearing me?"

"Yes, Melissa, I hear you loud and clear." She walked back to where Melissa and her dad were at. "Mr. Chapman?"

"Your science project is late. I just would like you to know that as you have already missed ten days this semester, if your grades start to slip, you will be enlisted in summer school. Your friend Rachel is almost certainly headed that way also, so I do hope you don't spend all your time talking to one another. It would be a complete waste of knowledge, and it would be terrible for such a bright girl to end up in a poor job because she wasn't trying hard enough."

"Yes, Mr. Chapman."

"And, Natasha? Next time, don't skip school for a boyfriend. You're a teenager. It isn't worth it, trust me."

"Yes, Mr. Chapman." He left, and Natasha puzzled over what he'd said. _**It's a code, from a Yeerk to a Yeerk.**_ Will said.

_**I suppose you've got it all figured out? Or you are perhaps seeing trees where there is only a shrub?**_

Several ideas and pictures flashed through Natasha's mind, including some mystery novels. _**Sorry, what? You're not thinking in words.**_

_**Sorry. I seem to be doing that more often. Like a whale.**_

_**What does a whale have to do with anything?**_

_**Nothing, and your little weirdism doesn't make sense. Chapman was trying to tell you that you aren't trying hard enough at your job. And that he suspects Rachel and Tom, and you should check up on them. Also, he's threatening you with the "poor job" part.**_

_**Seems like you're a natural Nancy Drew.**_

_**I read a lot.**_ Natasha shook her head and walked home, having missed the bus. It started to rain. _Damn it!_ It seemed that Mother Nature had a serious grudge against her, because it came down in gallons. Then, something bigger than a raindrop hit her on the head. She grabbed it out of her hair. It was a tiny frog. _**It may not be raining cats and dogs, but it sure is more than just water.**_

_**The frog might have just been evaporated up into the clouds when it was an egg. Stuff like that happens fairly frequently.**_

_**Since when? What reality are you living in?**_

_**Currently? Yours.**_ Considering it a sign from something, Natasha acquired the frog. Then she finished trudging home in the downpour.

When she banged open her front door, her mom looked up from the newspaper and said, "You didn't try to walk home in that, did you? Why weren't you home on the bus?"

"Is Dad home yet?" Natasha asked, shutting the door.

"No."

"Thanks to our wonderful assistant principal, I missed the bus." Natasha took off her soaked shoes and socks and proceeded to her room, saying, "It isn't quite raining cats and dogs out there, but you might catch a tadpole if you're lucky."

Natasha changed into pajamas and threw her wet clothes into the wash machine along with the rest of her laundry, then started it. "I'm going to bed!"

"Do you have any homework that's do tomorrow?"

_Probably._ "No!" Natasha collapsed onto her bed and promptly fell asleep.

_She was flying a Bug Fighter. Her copilot, a Hork-Bajir, looked over at her and quickly tried to cut her head off. "Animorph!" he shouted. She ducked and tried to get the hatch to open, then remembered that she was in outer space and if the hatch opened, she would die. No, that couldn't be right. She was only reading a story. But why was the Taxxon trying to eat her if it was only a story?_

_Wait, that wasn't right either. Suddenly, her copilot was forcing her head into a pool. _No!_ She couldn't become a Yeerk again, Tom was okay. She tried to breathe. It wasn't Yeerk sludge, it was blood. Why was it blood?_

_**It is not blood. You are dreaming.**__ Who was that? __**Wake up, dunderhead.**_ Natasha woke up at the sound of her alarm clock. _**Also, you might want to demorph. You're halfway to frog.**_

"I can't morph a frog," Natasha tried to say, but it came out "Rrrupt, ribbit rrrt rrt." Not bothering to open her eyes, Natasha focused on herself and felt the changes happen.

_**Now that you're human, open your eyes and look toward your dresser.**_ Natasha did so, and jumped involuntarily. Leaning against her dresser was a halfway transparent girl. She had gray hair, a gray shirt, and faded pink pants. The girl herself seemed pretty faded. _**I gave your mother quite a scare this morning. I didn't realize she could see me, and I can even project my thoughts to her. She thought, of course, that I was a ghost.**_

"Well, aren't you? Aren't you a ghost who's been haunting me?"

Will frowned thoughtfully. _**I'm not entirely sure. The last thing I remember before being in your head is drowning in ink. Maybe I am a ghost, but I can't project a "self" for very long. Only fifteen minutes or so.**_

"Only fifteen minutes or so is still pretty decent. Are you going to be projecting to others as well?"

_**Probably not unless I have to. This does cost me energy, like if I was sprinting. Or morphing. And what's the point of scaring people?**_ Will started to fade away noticeably, and disappeared instantly.

Natasha wondered if she was still asleep. She pinched herself, and then went down to breakfast.

xxx

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rachel."

"Oh, hi Nat. How are you?"

"Better, now that the whole Yeerk news has died down. I can't believe people actually believed that stuff."

"Yeah, well, these are humans we're talking about."

Natasha laughed. "Yep, for better or for worse. Say, could you tell Tom that I'm taking a trip, far away? I tried to call myself, but it was his little brother who answered. Very annoying, trying to talk to people when their siblings answer the phone. Always want to know what's going on. I told him to kiss Tom for me because the Yeerks were going to steal me away. It seemed to irritate him, as he hung up on me."

"Like he's really going to kiss his brother? He _is _our age, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Natasha hung up. Then she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. While this wasn't her first space trip, it was the first time she was going into an active war zone. _**Besides Earth, you mean. Why do you switch missions so quickly?**_

_**Because I work for four bosses, and none of them like each other.**_ Natasha grabbed her bag, which included one change of clothes, her Dracon beam, a book, and a handheld computer. She tied the bag around her waist and slipped off to the meeting place.

xxx

"I might remind you that we are going into a _war zone_ Artiss-seven-four-four, and not a vacation site." Will looked up from the book she was reading. A Sstram was glaring pointedly at her book. It was black as space and a bit monkey-like, with an ape-like face and four chimp feet, but it had a tail like a certain dinosaur, thick and spiky on the end. The Sstram's hands gestured wildly, with its seven fingers dancing like the creature was trying to cast a spell.

Will sighed and snapped the book shut. "What do you want?"

"One of your _companions_ call for you." The Sstram was making no efforts to hide his dislike of those who had just come from Earth. "He thinks that I am a common errand runner."

"Which obviously you are, or you would have told my companion to find me himself." Will left the fuming Sstram. Aboard this ship were Yeerks who were under the orders of three different Vissers. Those under Visser Seven tolerated the rest, but those under Vissers Three and Four had an open rivalry, though not yet to the point of violence. They couldn't do anything about their situation, but they could not get into much trouble by constant arguing and insults.

A Hork-Bajir was walking beside her. Will tripped and her hand automatically shot out at him, grabbing his arm and also knocking him off balance. They both fell to the metal floor and Will quickly acquired him. He was not one of those who went into a trance when being acquired as he immediately got up, shouting, "You stupid human! Worthless, constantly getting off balance and unnecessarily bringing down others! I should-"

"Shut up," said a Gedd-Controller. "Honestly, you are one of the most irritating people that I have ever seen! It isn't Artiss's fault that she was assigned to a human! Leave those of Visser Three alone and try to keep the peace!" The Hork-Bajir angrily stomped off. The Gedd turned to her. "And you do the same!" Then the Gedd ambled off in a different direction.

"Aye, aye, captain." Will continued to walk to where her companions were.

xxx

"The Sstram actually got you?" Sharthum two-one-four asked in disbelief. He was a human, in fact, a famous singer.

"Yes, he got me, though he did make a big fuss about it."

"Of course. None of us have seen you in two days. _Where _have you been?"

"Bored out of my mind. Where have you been?"

"Artiss, I do not appreciate you sarcasm."

"Neither do I, it's just one of those annoying things that come naturally."

"I have to wonder how much of this is just you and how much is your host, since sarcasm does not come naturally to most Yeerks."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you all for reviewing and reading and suggesting book titles and anything else I am forgetting that pertains to this story!**

**Ze Booke Pial:**

**Animorphs**

**Eragon**

**Ze Possible Bookes of Ze Pial:**

**Bambi**

**A Brief History of Time**

**Universe in a Nutshell**

**Man who Listens to Horses**

**Shy Boy**

**(Agatha Christie)**

**(More that I am forgetting)**

**Darth Krande, are you suggesting Harry Potter or just thinking aloud?**

**I just read over the guidelines again, and I saw that I can't do Magician because it's not allowed. Dang it! And I was looking forward to it, too.**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Be careful what you wish for, Willamine.**_

_**Either tell me why, or shut up.**_

_**What? Tell you why what?**_ Natasha was completely confused.

_**I'm hearing voices in my head that keep saying "Be careful what you wish for, Willamine."**_

Natasha snorted. _**The voice in my head is hearing voices. Does **_**anyone else**_** see a problem with that?**_

_**Nope.**_

_**You're impossible.**_

_**Scientifically, yes.**_ Natasha sighed. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was crazy.

xxx

"Hit them! Hit them, before they hit us!" Natasha squeezed the trigger as Sharthum two-one-four barrel rolled the Bug Fighter. "You idiot! You missed!"

"You threw me off!" she cried as she fired once more. This time it hit an engine. At the same time, their Bug came to an immediate stop and both of them were pitched forward. The Bug slowly started to go backwards, and the communications screen turned on to an Andalite glaring at them. Since the computers couldn't transmit thought speech, it was the Andalite's 'voice' they heard.

"You have been captured, Yeerks. If you try anything, you will be killed." Natasha shot a glance at Shartham. He looked terrified. This was his first mission involving any possibility of capture, and he wasn't handling it too well. _Then again, I probably wouldn't have either, if it had been Andalites. And this is too much like getting a private yelling session with Visser Three._

Shartham shakily drew his Dracon beam, but Natasha shook her head. "We're in space." Comprehension dawned on him, but he still held the weapon. There was a slight noise as the Andalite craft "married" hatches with the Bug, and the doors opened, bringing the unwelcome sight of two Andalites with Shredders.

**[Put the weapon down.]** Even half-dead from fear, Shartham gently put the Dracon beam down so it would not fire. The bigger Andalite turned one stalk eye toward Natasha and said, **[You also.]** Natasha sighed slightly and tossed the weapon to the side. Having to follow orders from those who weren't supposed to be her boss was her biggest pet peeve.

"Now what? Follow you to our deaths?" Natasha asked sweetly in Galard.

The Andalite glared at her. **[We do not kill prisoners, usually. If you die of Kandrona starvation it is not our problem.]**

"Comforting thought." Sharthram whispered in English. It was apparent that the Andalite did not understand English, at least not yet, though he did not say anything about it. Sharthram was just to the right of the emergency escape module…

"Escape pod. On my word," she said, looking as if she were talking to the Andalites. They chose to ignore her. The smaller one made a slight, mocking bow and gestured to the hatch. She started to walk toward them, standing in the direct path of both Andalites to Sharthram. "Now," she said, completely calm. He leaped to the pod and slammed his fist onto the release button. The Andalites drew their weapons a second too late, as the EEM had already shot off.

Natasha felt a cool blade brush her throat. **[I should kill you for that, **_**Yeerk,**_** but I will not. Yet.]** She calmly looked into his eyes. There was the same hate blazing that she could see with Visser Three when he talked about the "Andalite Bandits." Hate was such a problem between these two species. _**They need divorce counseling,**_ Will thought to her.

Natasha almost laughed aloud, but managed to keep it only to a smirk as the Andalites herded her inside their small ship. There was another Andalite in there, manning the ship while the others went on their raid. She sat against the back wall and watched the Andalites speak to each other, excluding her from the conversation. She casually slipped her fingers into her fanny pack to touch her Dracon beam. _Oh, how I do love holograms._

xxx

Will sat in the Ramonite box, idly weaving patterns in the air with her hand. She was more bored than she'd ever been in her life, and Nat shared the sentiment. Not caring if anyone was listening, as she doubted the Andalites would know what purpose she had, Will started to sing quietly to herself. "I fell in to a burning ring of fire, I went down, down, down…"

Will pulled out the book yet again. It was extremely hard to concentrate on the story. "_Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great._" She quickly shut the book and put it away as she heard hoof steps outside her box.

The Ramonite became transparent, and an Andalite was standing proudly and angrily outside. **[Yeerk, in three days or less you will die. I would suggest that before that, you tell us what you know, and perhaps prolong your existence.] **

Will smirked at him. In Galard she said, "Arrogant, idiot Andalite. That's a bribe that you have no intention of carrying out. I can see through it, though a starving Yeerk probably would not."

The Andalite looked at her in such a way as to make her think he was smiling grimly and arrogantly. **[You are trying to convince me that you are not a Yeek, but once you are let out, it is almost a given that you will try to contact your fellow Yeerks.]**

"You people are _so freaking paranoid_, that it is obviously completely pointless to talk to you." Will crossed her arms and turned her head away from her. The Andalite sighed, partly angry, partly annoyed.

**[Us? Who is it that are too afraid to wage open warfare against those you are trying to conquer? Who is it that hide in the dark and slime, intent more on developing devices, **_**stolen from Andalites**_**, I might add, that are made for protection and violence? I don't think that it is us who are the paranoid ones.]**

_**There you go, making these guys mad. Just remember, they have a steel blade at the end of their tail and I will be very displeased if you kill me.**_

_**Bah. I have a Ramonite box around me. I'm safe.**_ "What makes more sense, since you are obviously more intelligent in matters of warefare than I: That the…invading army operate in secret, or they fight a battle that they are obviously going to lose? Being a human, I know what would make sense to our kind, but we are just…well, primitive, backwards aliens."

[I will refuse to answer that question, Yeerk, but what would your host say about that concept? Or can you not even answer, so crushed is the spirit within by the evil without?]

"Jesus, I am beginning to hate Andalites as much as Yeerks," Will whispered to herself. "Well, since you won't believe that I'm not a Yeerk, _Natasha_ believes that they should fight a battle that is obviously going to be lost. Human history is full of cases like that. We are a very determined species, always wanting to win."

The Andalite glared at her. **[I will be back soon, to see if you have changed your mind, Yeerk.]**

Will leaned back against the Ramonite. "At your convenience, Majesty. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p><strong>This seemed pretty short. Oh well. Thank you all who are reading and reviewing and giving stories! Now, should this series be a septology (seven) or a series of eleven?<strong>

**Book Pile (All those I'm pretty sure are for sure):**

**Animorphs-K.**

**Eragon-Christopher Paolini**

**Hallowe'en Party-Agatha Christie**

**Winnetou-Karl May**

**Wind in the Willows-Kenneth Grahame**


	11. Chapter 11

Hello, peeps! It's been a while, I know, but I really just wasn't in the mood for it. Lame, I know. I don't care.

_After falling into Animorphs #20, Willamine discovers that she is literally not herself. Both intentionally and not, she changes what happens in the series, along with help from her host, former Controller Artiss seven-four-four, for what she hopes is the better. After de-Yeerking Tom Berenson, her current boyfriend and Jake's older brother, Will/Natasha is sent on a deep space mission with her fellow Yeerks. It doesn't end very well, and she is now a prisoner of the Andalites..._

* * *

><p>'<strong>We do not usually kill our prisoners, but if you starve to death, it's not our fault.' Yeah, freaking right. They aren't <strong>feeding<strong>_** us in the first place.**_**

_**Well, if you ate grass, you would be fed. Be glad you've got water, else you'd be dead.**_

_**Wonderful. Now I have a sarcastic poet ghost in my head.**_ Natasha was doing as much stretching as she could in her small prison. She wanted to be able to stand up when she got out of there.

**[You are no longer a host. It is not required for you to stay in your prison cell any longer.]** An Andalite opened the Ramonite cell and Natasha scrambled out. **[It is amazing that your species can walk upright without a tail. How did you evolve to such ways?]**

"That is something we've been trying to remember for years." Natasha said in Galard. "Our species just collectively forgot, that way we could remember to balance on just two legs. That's my theory, anyway."

**[Ah. You are a scientist among your people?]** The Andalite had started walking, and Natasha only now noticed that she had been following along.

"Technically…no."

**[Technically?]** The Andalite seemed amused.

"By our standards, I am still a child."

**[Ah. Are your people opposing the Yeerks?]**

"Nope. In fact, those of us who aren't hosts don't even know about it, and the only thing stopping them from a new six billion hosts are exactly six _arisths._"

**[Then should not these **_**arisths**_** be spreading the word about what is happening on your planet?]**

Natasha laughed at this. "We humans aren't the most believing of species. Most of us don't even think that folks from other planets exist."

**[But surely if the warriors on Earth only demonstrated what we could do-]**

"Everyone would think you were some kind of mutant deer, and probably do some mercy killing. We aren't very ashamed of much that we do. Do I get to go home?"

**[Probably not for a while. We are in the middle of a war, and there is little time to spare for a child lost in the universe.]**

_**My, my, I have aliens galore! And not a whit of luck with any of them!**_

_**Waa, waa, waa. Quit complaining and I'll help you make a salad.**_

_**You know what's edible on this ship?**_

_**Of course. I **_**am**_** K. A. Applegate's daughter.**_

_**Who's that?**_

_**Hmm, I should probably shut up now.**_

_**I hate you.**_

_**You hate me? The innocent little voice in your head?**_

_**Yes. It's your fault I'm here in the first place!**_

_**Don't worry…be happy. Don't worry be happy now.**_

_**I would hurt you.**_

**_I would stop voicing my thoughts. Another Andalite is coming, a younger one, and younguns have a tendency to "hear" things better._**

Indeed, an _aristh_ had come to stand next to the older Andalite. They spoke in private thought speech, and the older one left.

**[Hello.****]** the _aristh_ said. **[My name is Cher-Senatra-Zpip. I will be looking after you.]** Cher seemed both displeased and curious.

"Not much to look after, I'm afraid," Natasha said in Galard. "I'm just an average human." _**With obvious exceptions.**_

**_I heard that._**

_**Quiiiieeetttt. **_

**[Strange. I could swear that you are talking to someone else by thought, yet I know that you communicate by voice.]** Cher was a really curious_ aristh._ **[**_**Can**_** you communicate by thought?]**

"Some humans can, except we call it telepathy or empathy. It's not so much communication as mind reading, or knowing how someone else feels. Psychics can't really broadcast their thoughts, they're just an antenna to others' signals."

Cher caught her generality. **[Maybe so, but I did ask if **_**you**_** could communicate by thought.]**

"So you did. However, I can neither confirm or deny it."

**[Because it's true, or because you don't know?]**

Natasha grinned. "I think I'll take the fifth on that one."

**[The fifth? What is the fifth?]**

"It's just the Fifth. It's a law that basically says that you can stop talking so you can stay out of bigger trouble."

**[That is strange. What kind of government is your planet?]**

"We have many governments. Our planet isn't united very well. We're in a war right now, as a matter of fact."

**[A war with the Yeerks, correct?]**

"A war with ourselves. Most folks don't know about the Yeerks."

**[Humans are in a war against **_**themselves?**_** That is against all logic! Those of their own race should be united to **_**fend off**_** attacks, not instigate them!]**

**[**_**Aristh Cher**_**, you are shouting in our heads.] **A large Andalite said, with a touch of amusement. **[Honestly, you should have become a **_**politician**_**.]**

Cher lowered his stalk eyes. **[I am sorry, my prince.]**

The prince smiled with his stalk eyes. **[Still, it **_**is**_** a strange concept that you have brought to our minds…]**

xxx

Natasha spent the rest of the "day" explaining the little she knew about human politics, wars, and other strange things to her current alien babysitters. They were fascinated, though it seemed that nothing that humans did was _ever_ logical, even science. It was frustrating to Natasha. She had never liked continuous criticism, and this time it was against her whole species, instead of just her. She had to admit, though, it was_ definitely_ a learning experience.

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><p><strong>AN: This didn't seem like a very good chapter. Sorry, folks, I don't think I'm handling the Andalites very well. Perhaps they just aren't Analite-y enough.**

**Okay, I think that this series is going to be a septology, because seven is my lucky number.**

**Story #1: Animorphs (kind of obvious)**

**Story #2: Eragon**

**Story #3: Harry Potter**

**Story #4: Hallowe'en Party**

**Story #5: Wind in the Willows**

**Story #6: Winnetou**

**Story #7: Circle of Magic/Circle opens**

**Note: List is subject to change, though odds are unlikely to the majority. Author is not to be blamed for any irritation, breakouts, or mood swings associated with this list.**

**Have a nice day.**


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry, guys, it's not very good in my opinion. But unfortunately, a Potterfan murdered my muse, and the currently employed one only works certain hours. Please send brutally honest criticism, or just a nice comment to cheer me up. This is mostly from Tom's perspective, so a little break from Natasha and Will.

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><p><em><strong>Knock-knock.<strong>_

_**Nobody's home.**_

_**Knock-knock.**_

_**I **_**just**_** said nobody's home.**_

_**Knock-knock.**_

_**WILL YOU SHUT UP?**_ A few Andalites looked around in surprise. Apparently, Will was right; she could project her thoughts.

_**That…was…terribly brilliant of you, lightbulb.**_ Will thought-whispered.

_**Well, at least it proved our theory. And it was **_**your**_** fault.**_

_**Was not.**_

_**Was too.**_

_**Was not.**_

_**Was too.**_

_**Was not.**_

_**How old are you?**_

_**Old enough to know better, still too young to care…and I'm younger than you are.**_

_**Swell.**_ Natasha put up her mental fence to indicate to Will that she did not want to talk. She couldn't create a twelve-foot brick wall like Will (much to her irritation) so if Will still felt like talking, she would just climb over (or even sit on) the fence.

**[Hello, Natasha.]**

"Hello, Cher. How are you today?"

**[I am well; however, there is a battle about to begin and I wish you to be informed before it frightens you.]**

"Before it frightens me, hm? I'd rather think I'd be surprised instead of frightened. I've been in battles before."

**[And yet you possess no formal training by your people, correct?]**

"Correct. I was trained by Yeerks…actually, my Yeerk was trained by the Yeerks, while I stood by in my mind and watched."

Cher seemed to struggle with himself, deciding whether or not to ask a question. **[Forgive my rudeness, but what is it like, being a host of a Yeerk?]**

_**Oh, it's like going crazy, having a ghost in your head and wearing a straitjacket. **_

_**Shut up, kid.**_ "It's kind of like a dream. You're very detached, and you can't do anything of your own willpower. Sometimes the Yeerk will talk to you, and sometimes they won't even let you see what's going on. It can make you go insane. I've met several hosts like that."

**[How do you know that it is the host that is insane and not the Yeerk?]**

Natasha smirked a bit, but it quickly turned to a frown when the ground under her moved. She wobbled but stayed upright. **[It is amazing how you are able to do that with only two legs.]** Cher said. **[Oh, this is not good.]**

"What?"

**[The bridge is disconnecting from the Dome. That's not a good sign.]**

_**No, not really,**_ Will said dully. _**It probably means we'll be either stranded on the nearest planet or captured by Yeerks.**_

_**How do you **_**know**_** this stuff?**_

_**I am the child of this universe's God.**_ Natasha wasn't sure if Will was being sarcastic, or if she'd lost it completely. She decided to deal with it later. At the moment, she had to deal with this little problem.

xxx

_**Tom…Tommy…wake up now, Tommy-boy.**_ Tom jerked awake, though after seeing what he saw, he thought he was still asleep. There was a ghost in his room, a very faint, white ghost.

"Who are you?" he whispered. Since this was a dream, he wasn't particularly scared, just curious, and he didn't want to wake Jake and his parents.

_**Tell them she's in trouble, Tommy-boy,**_ the ghost said. _**Tell them she's among the Taxxons.**_

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

_She's with the Taxxons. Nat and the arisths are among the Taxxons. In their world, Tom. You must tell them._

"I…okay. I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

_**It does not matter. She is in danger. Tell the others.**_ With those final words, the ghost disappeared. Tom stared at the spot it had been standing at for a few moments, then shook his head and practically ran downstairs.

Tom poured himself a glass of water and drank it in huge gulps. He then proceeded to splash it all over himself when he heard someone say, "Bad dreams?" behind him.

"Jake…" Tom said.

"It's all right. I have nightmares about five days out of seven." Jake threw a towel at Tom. He caught it automatically.

"I don't think it has anything to do with what we've been doing," Tom said. "I thought there was a ghost in my room, telling me to tell the others that Natasha's in trouble."

"I think that's probably a natural thing. You care for her, so you dream that she's in trouble when you don't know what's going on."

"Are you sure this birth order's right? Because it seems to me that you're acting like my older brother and not the other way around." They both laughed quietly.

"You boys all right?" Dad was thumping down the stairs. "Is there a reason for this little party at two in the morning, and Tom, why are you all wet?"

"Oh…that's Jake's fault," Tom said carelessly.

"How was I supposed to know you were going to jump three feet in the air as soon as I said something?"

"I thought you said you did this five out of seven nights a week. Don't you know?"

"Boys! Jake, what's he talking about, you out of bed five-seven?"

Jake said nothing for a minute, but poured everyone a glass of milk. "Mom coming down soon? Or did she tell you to deal with it?" he said, in a forced joking tone.

"Don't try and change the subject, young man."

"Oh all right, but I do want to know. I've just been having some weird dreams. That's all. I just need to wake up a bit and go back to sleep."

"I'm sure. Well, your mother will be down if I'm not back up in five minutes. And that means that you two," he said, eyeing them suspiciously. "You two need to get back to bed in three."

Tom drank his milk in silence, as did Jake, and their dad watched them. Jake got up to put his cup in the sink, taking Tom's as well, and they bid their dad goodnight.

Back downstairs, their dad said aloud, "Thank God they're back to normal."

In bed, Tom now regarded his dream with slight sheepishness. Of course it was just from the stress. It was just like Jake had said, and he would know after all. Being the leader of a little band of renegades put him under plenty of stress. It was just a stupid dream…

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you're not too upset. I'm working on finding a muse, and I hope to have the next chapter up before too long. Three months is far too long of a wait, and I apologize profusely.<strong>

**Ze Booke Pial:**

**Animorphs**

**Harry Potter**

**Eragon**

**Halloween Party**

**Winnetou**

**Circle of Magic/Circle Opens**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Argh. Okay, I know I've been_ really_ flaky when it comes to this story and I do apologize. I have been having so much trouble with this and at the moment, the books really aren't giving me any help. I've also gone from a writing phase into a reading phase and have only just gotten back out of it. I'm trying, I really am. I actually finished this yesterday, but my mom dragged me off before I could post it.

* * *

><p>They were all trying not to panic. Cher, another Andalite cadet named Aloth, and Natasha were keeping themselves busy in the Dome, trying not to think about what would happen when they landed. Or ran out of air. Or were captured by Yeerks. Or a meteorite hit whatever it what that protected the Dome and caused it to crack. Or-<p>

_**Shut up. Now.**_

_**Only trying to create a plan, O master reader.**_

Natasha made a mental face at Will, who proceeded to mentally walk over to Natasha's mental fence and mentally sit on it. In the physical world, she looked up from her book, and watched the two Andalite cadets practice their fighting. Cher was the younger one, and Aloth obviously knew how to watch for habits.

_**Cher keeps shifting his weight to his left back leg,**_ Will supplied helpfully. _**Just like Elfangor.**_

_**And how would you know that?**_

_**I shouldn't say; it would put you in a state of denial, or shock.**_

_**Oh, really now.**_

_**Let's just say I know the thoughts of Madam K. A. Applegate.**_

_**And that is..?**_

_**My mom.**_

_**Right. The goddess. You know, I am totally in a rubber room. I am only dreaming about Andalites and Yeerks and voices in my head and I'll be waking up any minute now.**_

_**Well that's brilliant for you, Nattie. I've been doing some thinking, and I don't think I'll be waking up as soon as you do.**_

_**Why?**_

Will sighed in her head and directed her eyes and hands back to the book. Natasha had unintentionally been staring at the two Andalites and they were now starting to feel it. _**What if I told you the life you live is a book, and I've changed the way it's written? Now, don't get defensive, because my life is probably a book in your world too. I've read a little about this stuff.**_

_**Of course you have. You've read every book on the planet.**_

**_Anyway, there's a pile of books next to my bed. I remember that after I knocked __Inkspell_,_ which is the book where I've read of this, off the top, there was one named __Animorphs._**

_**You are joking. Right?**_

_**No. It was number 20, which is the same time in the story where I woke up in your head. I have to wonder if I'll be dropping out of here and into Harry Potter's head at any given moment.**_

_**Who?**_

_**Never mind.**_

_**You could just be a figment of the imagination. This could just be one wicked dream. I might be wearing a straitjacket at the moment.**_

Will mentally rolled her eyes and retreated, leaving Natasha alone. Natasha watched the Andalites as they now wandered across the grass, having finished their practicing. Aloth was slowly coming in her direction. He walked up to her, but was silent for several moments.

"Hello," Natasha said quietly, and it evidently surprised Aloth.

**[Hello. Are you well?]** Aloth had only one stalk eye on her, which she found to be particularly annoying.

"Considering the circumstances."

**[Look.]** Aloth said, pointing at the roof of the Dome. It was clear, with the stars visible even with the constant light in the Dome. **[There is a ship, though none could tell whether it was friend or foe.]**

"How far away do you think it is?" Natasha asked, not revealing any panic or other emotions. Someone had to be the leader here.

**[It is close enough to fire upon us.]** He said, quite calmly.

_**This sucks,**_ Will said cheerfully.

**[Who is speaking? I know for a fact that it is not Natasha.]** Cher said suddenly.

_**So you **_**can**_** hear me. I've been wondering.**_Will thought-spoke 'aloud.' _**My name is Will, and I am the child of this Universe's God, and I have possessed Natasha, through no fault of my own, and I have no idea when, or if, I am going to leave.**_

**[I am not sure I understand]** Cher said.

**_You wouldn't, and it's a pain to explain._**

**[If you are the child of this universe's 'God,' then do you know anything about the future, or more importantly at the moment, our future?]**

_**Well, I know how it's supposed to go, I know I've screwed it up, and I know I can't help you as far as predictions go.**_

"Okay, now that that's settled, I think that it's a good time to point out that they seem to be firing on us," Natasha said reasonably.

**[It appears to be a tractor beam.]** Aloth said.

They watched the beam streak towards them, since there was nothing else they could do. When it hit, the whole ship jerked, and this time, Natasha really did fall down. They were dragged to the other ship, and as they got closer, Will recognized it as a Yeerk ship, with Aloth confirming it moments later.

**_I amend my previous statement. This _really_ sucks._**

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><p><strong><strong>Yeah, mostly just chatter for this chapter. Feel free to yell at me. And if you ever think I'm taking too long, just send a helpful "Get your keyboard in gear, NOW!"

Ze Booke Pial

Animorphs

Eragon

Harry Potter

Halloween Party

Winnetou

Circle of Magic/Circle Opens


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Really, really sorry this hasn't been updated in like, six months or something. I've been busy. But I'm back, at least for today.

* * *

><p>The Yeerks entered the Dome and approached the three children. There were two Hork-Bajir and several Taxxons, from what Will could see. Natasha stood up and prepared to fight, hand on Dracon beam but not drawing it yet. Aloth turned a stalk eye to Natasha.<p>

**[Your…Holiness? Or whatever you are, can you advise us on how to proceed?]**

Will was thinking quickly. She believed that standard Andalite procedure was to kill themselves when it was hopeless in order to stop from being a Yeerk. That was definitely something to keep them from doing. She knew that Hork-Bajir were usually better Yeerks to deal with than Taxxons, who had a hunger so great that even the Yeerks possessing them had a hard time thinking straight. Talking wouldn't do much good against them. But, if they were to hurt one of the Taxxons and get out of reach, it would put the Yeerks into a feeding frenzy. Space Taxxons were much less controllable than the ones on Earth, though Will didn't remember why.

_**Firing off Dracon beams wouldn't be a very good idea in this environment, would it?**_ She asked the Andalites.

**[Not if you wished to remain alive, no.]**

_**Good. That means they have to take us by hand.**_ Will reasoned.

_**Good? Good? We're outnumbered! They have Taxxons!**_

_**Look, you're kind of important to Visser Three, right?**_ Both Andalites glowered at the name. _**So if these are mostly Taxxons, it would make sense that they would probably know who you are. So, if we put you in a hostage situation…**_

Aloth caught on. At least, Will hoped he caught on, because his tail blade was against Natasha's throat in milliseconds. The Hork-Bajir and Taxxons stopped, confused by this turn of events. Then, a human burst out from the small group.

"Artiss seven-four-four, what are you doing here?" It was Sharthum two-one-four. He had apparently found help.

Unable to suppress a sarcastic response, Natasha said, "I'm taking a vacation, you idiot. What does it look like I'm doing?"

The Yeerks were in a bit of a jam. Most of them knew the name Artiss seven-four-four, simply because it was usually juxtaposed with Visser three.

The Hork-Bajir in charge looked between the two Andalites and Natasha. Will knew that the two _arisths_ looked old enough to pass for actual Andalite warriors. "If you let Artiss seven-four-four go, we will leave you unharmed," the Hork-Bajir said.

_**No he won't,**_ Will told Aloth. _**He'll wait until the ship's far enough away, and blow a hole in the Dome.**_

**[I highly doubt that.]** Aloth said. He did a fairly good job of sounding like a Prince. **[It is far more likely that you will destroy the Dome as soon as you have achieved a safe distance.]**

Panic was starting to show in Natasha's eyes. Even though she knew it was fake, she was terrified that Aloth might twitch from an involuntary reflex. As for the Hork-Bajir, he knew that the Visser would be displeased if they lost his most important asset, but he would be more displeased if they lost two Andalite hosts. He signaled to the others.

_**They're going to leave you to the dogs. Prepare to fight, they aren't going to let you go.**_

_**I'm starting to wish I had worn high heels. They're better for killing Taxxons.**_ Natasha said ruefully. Will laughed.

The Yeerks charged at them. Natasha jumped back before Aloth could twitch from surprise, though there was no need. The two Andalites leapt into battle. Natasha, knowing there wasn't much she could do, being human, stayed back. She didn't want to alert the Yeerks to her defection, nor did she want to hurt the two Andalite cadets.

Unfortunately, the two arisths went down, quickly beaten into unconsciousness by the Yeerks. Sharthum two-one-four came up to Natasha. "Artiss seven-four-four, are you all right?"

She smacked his hand away. "Of course I'm not, you fool. I was nearly beheaded by an Andalite! It's only due to the one's lack of judgment that am still here to talk about it!" She turned to the Hork-Bajir. "Don't think the Visser won't be hearing about this!" she threatened. She then walked away, leading the rest of them to the Yeerk ship and leaving the two Hork-Bajir on board to drag the Andalites aboard. Natasha and Will were desperately trying to figure out a plan to get out of _this_ mess.

* * *

><p>Oh, no! A cliff hanger! In addition to a short chapter!<p>

Reviews are lovely.

**Ze Booke Pial:**

**Animorphs**

**Harry Potter**

**Eragon**

**Halloween Party**

**Winnetou**

**Circle of Magic/Circle Opens**


	15. Chapter 15

**Right, I'm sure y'all are sick to death of my apologies, but it is a short chapter and it has been quite a while. Please feel free to review in caps lock, whether it be exclamations of joy or shouts of anger. Thank you.**

* * *

><p>Natasha was doing Yeerk things while trying to figure out a way to best save the Andalites without killing all of the other Yeerks. Will had decided to find out how the Andalites were doing. She drifted, invisibly, away from Natasha and into the Andalites' prison.<p>

_**Hello. Are you two doing all right?**_ She could tell, obviously, that they most certainly weren't. Cher was in a state of absolute terror, while Aloth was only a little more composed. They both seemed pretty ready to take the Death Ritual.

**[Protocol would demand that we take our own lives instead of wait to be infested.]** Aloth said stiffly, trying not to show any emotion. **[I am not sure yet why we have not, only due to the insistence of a former Yeerk host who seems to have rejoined their ranks.]**

_**Natasha is incredibly resourceful,**_ Will said. _**She's been playing the Yeerk for quite some time now and she's a freaking genius. Her excuse for how she's still a Yeerk is that she reprogrammed her handheld computer—which you never took from her, I might add—and got it to modify the slight ultraviolet rays that Ramonite gives off into enough Kandrona to keep a Yeerk alive. Strangely enough, when the Yeerks had her recreate it, it worked. Just some future knowledge for you.**_

**[So does this mean-?]**

_**No. Trust me, that Yeerk has been dead for like, a year now. She's perfectly traitorous.**_

**[Then why does she refuse to kill Yeerks?]**

_**Okay, first of all, she knows quite a few of their hosts, and even some of the Yeerks aren't that bad. And don't bother going into one of your infamous Andalite prejudice speeches, they're very boring and full of bull. You simply didn't evolve the way the Yeerks did, and therefore, will never be able to understand their point of view.**_

Cher had a most indignant look on his face, and Will mentally smiled. _**Don't worry. We'll soon be on the Taxxon planet. That's where Visser Three is at the moment. We'll escape then. The Yeerks are under strict guidelines that no one is to infest you until Visser Three decides.**_

**[Our fate then depends on the whims of that monster?]** Aloth asked bitterly.

**_No. Our time limit of which to escape depends on the whims of that monster. Our fates are our own, no matter what._**

**[If you have a Yeerk in your head, that isn't true.]** Cher pointed out.

Will smirked again. _**Yes it is. There are many ways of driving a Yeerk out of your head, including singing the alphabet forward and backward nonstop until the Yeerk has gone insane and eating instant oatmeal.**_

**[What is instant oatmeal?]** Cher asked.

_**It's like oatmeal, but it takes less time to cook. Toodeeloo, I have a long-distance call to make. Don't kill yourselves, we'll get out of this.**_

Will left the Andalites in search of Natasha. She found her quickly, taking a nap in her quarters. Excellent. Will could use her spare energy to try this out. The only side effect would be a possibility of Natasha getting a full forty winks, instead of the catnap she was allowed.

Will envisioned herself in a room full of sparkling energy fibers, and she was instantly so. She somehow knew that the red was Natasha, and blue was herself, but she called them all into making a rope which bound her to Natasha. She really didn't want to get about halfway across the galaxy for her bond to snap. That might end up with her dead, or she might snap back to reality, but Will really didn't favor the odds enough to try it.

When she judged the rope was good enough, she sped toward Earth. She wasn't faster than a light particle, but she went through several instances of Zero-space, which made up for it. The rope was still hardly more than a thread when she got there, though, so she waited for the Earth to rotate so that Tom Berenson's house was as close as it was going to get to her. Then she zoomed through the atmosphere, and into the house. Once in Tom's room, Will focused on making herself visible and getting Tom awake. If Natasha's theoretical plan went wrong, it might be incredibly important that the other Animorphs knew what had happened.

_**Tom…**__**Tommy…wake up now, Tommy-boy.**_ The boy in question jerked awake and looked around. Catching sight of her, she saw it dawn in his eyes that he was almost certainly still asleep. That might be good for the moment, but it wouldn't help in the long run.

"Who are you?" he whispered. She ignored the question, instead opting for more classical ghost behavior.

_**Tell them she's in trouble, Tommy-boy. Tell them she's among the Taxxons.**_

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" _Argh!_ Boys could be so _thick_ sometimes.

_**She's with the Taxxons. Nat and the arisths are among the Taxxons. In their world, Tom. You must tell them.**_ She basically spelled it out for him, so he wouldn't be left in any doubt. She was running out of energy, and she still had to get back to space.

"I…okay. I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Aaaanddd…all hope is lost. Damn it. She gave it one last shot.

_**It does not matter. She is in danger. Tell the others.**_ And that was it. No more ghostly Will. She started on her journey back with the little energy she had left, and hoped that the idiots who were Natasha's coworkers didn't decide they had an irresistible urge to imitate an alarm clock. She was going to need all the energy that the two of them could spare.


End file.
